Chapter 2274 - Unsure Whether to Laugh or Cry

Sandy winds swept across a battlefield shrouded in smoke. All was desolate and bleak.

The ground was burnt and riddled with scars.

There were severed limbs and broken fragments of treasures all over the place.

The earth caved in, and the landscape was withered.

A blood-covered figure sat on the ground.

When Li Fuyou arrived, that figure’s vitality had all but run dry. It was only by sheer force of will that he hadn’t already drawn his last breath.

“Brother Fuyou, I... did it,” the man said with great difficulty. His voice was low and hoarse, like a blacksmith’s bellows, and he paused frequently to catch his breath.

Those were his last words. As soon as they’d left his lips, his eyes dimmed, and he gazed into the overcast dome of heaven.

His face was smeared with blood, but he had a calm, tranquil smile in death.

His name was Zhong Youqi, and he was one of Li Fuyou’s allies and dear friends.

During his years fighting on the Boundless Battlefield, he relied upon Li Fuyou above all others.

Li Fuyou was also the man he admired most.

But... he wasn’t strong enough, so he seldom had an opportunity to help Li Fuyou.

But now, in his final battle, he went all out, helping Li Fuyou stop two of his powerful foes!

Even though he’d died shortly after, he died without regrets or bitterness. On the contrary, he seemed to have resolved something that had been weighing on him, and he passed on with a smile.

He’d finally managed to help Li Fuyou kill his enemies. Even though it had cost him his life, he died without regret.

Li Fuyou hugged Zhong Youqi’s corpse and sat there alone on the battlefield for a long, long time.

Zhong Youqi had once told him that he’d cast all thoughts of life and death to the back of his mind upon entering the Boundless Battlefield.

The only things he couldn’t let go of were his wife and children.

Once, after drinking to intoxication, Zhong Youqi told him that his name sounded just like the phrase “we’ll meet again in the end”, so he was sure to reunite with his family one day.

Alas, he ultimately died in battle. He never got to see his wife and children again.

Li Fuyou felt grief, guilt, and regret over Zhong Youqi’s death. Unfortunately, in the end, he too died on the Boundless Battlefield. He didn’t live to bring Zhong Youqi’s remains back home.

...

Time slipped by.

The woman in red, Bao Yun, waited outside the pavilion.

She’d originally planned to eavesdrop and see just who this lascivious stranger with the fierce gaze really was, but much to her frustration, there was a soundproofing formation over the pavilion. She couldn’t hear a peep.

A full hour passed before the doors opened and Zhong Xinlan emerged.

“He didn’t do anything to you, did he, Xinlan?”

Zhong Xinlan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She shook her head. “Big Sister Yun, Fellow Daoist Ye has deep ties with my family. He’s no villain. Please, stop overthinking this.”

She paused, then said, “Fellow Daoist Ye will be accompanying us to Cloudy Heights Temple. I’ve already arranged a place for him to stay.”

Bao Yun opened her mouth as if to object, but before she got the chance, Zhong Xinlan said, “Enough! It’s settled.”

With that, she led Su Yi to the room he was to stay in.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Once Su Yi was settled in, Bao Yun frantically called Zhong Xinlan over for a private conversation.

“Xinlan, just where did that guy come from? Whatever you do, don’t fall for his lies. How could someone with deep ties to your family just show up out of nowhere?” said Bao Yun, the words just flowing out of her.

Zhong Xinlan rubbed her forehead. All she said was, “Big Sister Yun, don’t ask any more questions, okay? Trust me just this once.”

Bai Yun sighed. “Fine, fine. I’ll listen to you.”

Zhong Xinlan smiled, and the two of them changed the subject.

In truth, not even Zhong Xinlan knew Ye Mu’s origins. He’d kept his lips tightly shut throughout their conversation. All he said was that his background was special, and that it wouldn’t do to divulge it.

This response was fundamentally suspicious, but as they conversed, Ye Mu’s knowledge of the Zhong Family convinced Zhong Xinlan that he wasn’t lying.

He wasn’t just proficient in the Zhong Family’s secret legacies. He’d even mastered many of the legacies the present-day Zhong Family had lost a long time ago!

This startled Zhong Xinlan, but it also convinced her that Ye Mu’s connection with her family ran deep.

Moreover, Ye Mu had agreed to take the rest of the journey to teach her her family’s lost legacies one by one!

Zhong Xinlan was naturally incomparably eager for this, and she no longer felt the need to push for answers surrounding Ye Mu’s origins.

That very day, Su Yi took up residence on their tower ship. When he wasn’t cultivating, he was transmitting Zhong Family legacies to Zhong Xinlan in private.

There was no denying that Zhong Xinlan lived up to her reputation as one of the most unparalleled divine daughters in the Southern Flame Divine Continent. She wasn’t just a master of art and music; her powers of comprehension were wondrous, too.

On top of all that she was an extraordinary, elegant beauty.

It was only natural that a beauty like her would attract numerous admirers and suitors.

Over the course of their conversations, Su Yi learned that Zhong Xinlan was indeed a member of Zhong Youqi’s lineage, but there were countless generations separating them.

She even referred to Zhong Youqi as her “ancestor!”

Su Yi saw her as the descendant of his old friend, and since he still felt guilt over Zhong Youqi’s death, he did his utmost to guide Zhong Xinlan’s cultivation.

Bao Yun saw it all. Every time she saw Su Yi and Zhong Xinlan enter the pavilion and stay there for a long time, she worried.

She was terrified that Su Yi would do something to Zhong Xinlan.

The most frustrating part was that nothing she said could change Zhong Xinlan’s mind. It was like Ye Mu had somehow bewitched her! Zhong Xinlan treated Bao Yun’s warnings as mere wind blowing past her ears.

Several days passed in a flash. Soon, they’d reached the far west of the Southern Flame Divine Continent.

These desolate, snowy plains were shrouded in dense, dark clouds year-round. The frigid gales were sharp as knives, and they filled the air with downy flurries. As far as the eye could see, everything was encased in ice and covered in snow. All was white and gray.

The far west of the Southern Flame Divine Continent was Cloudy Heights Temple territory. There were ancient temples built throughout the frigid landscape.

Most of those who cultivated here were vegetarian, scripture-chanting monks.

Even many of the yao and demons were adherents of Buddhism.

As Su Yi and his companions drew closer to their destination, they encountered more and more people on their way to Cloudy Heights Temple.

Some traveled alone, while others moved in small groups.

They’d come from all over the Southern Flame Divine Continent to attend the Dharma Assembly of Warding Evil.

Frozen Skies City.

This was a massive, ancient city built in the far west. It was the largest, most prosperous city in the entire icy tundra.

From the city, you could reach Cloudy Heights Temple in less than two hours!

It was already late at night when Su Yi and his companions reached Frozen Skies City, so they decided to rest in the city for the night.

The Dharma Assembly of Warding Evil, the event the entire divine continent was paying attention to, would begin tomorrow at Frigid Pool Mountain.

A sumptuous feast was underway in one of the city’s splendid, ancient courtyards.

The participants were all divine children from the Southern Flame Divine Continent’s top factions. Their ranks included no small number of unparalleled figures.

It was indeed a gathering of stars.

Zhong Xinlan was invited too, so she came with Su Yi and Bao Yun.

Night was setting in, and the courtyard was lit with colorful lanterns. Everyone in attendance was a chosen son or daughter of heaven.

The host was the leading figure of Cloudy Heights Temple’s younger generation. His title was Zheng Yun, or Righteous Cloud.

Rumor had it that Cloudy Heights Temple would appoint him its new Buddhist Son at tomorrow’s Dharma assembly. This banquet was a celebration in his honor.

The banquet was quite lively, but Su Yi sat and drank alone.

He’d come here purely to gather information about tomorrow’s Dharma Assembly of Warding Evil. The participants of this banquet were all divine children; they were unquestionably well-informed.

Before long, he’d gathered some useful information.

For example, rumor had it that Cloudy Heights’ Temple would make an announcement that would shift the entire divine continent’s balance of power!

That aside, its abbot, Fa Zhen, the Skywalking Monk, Mo Zhen, and Grand High Elder Hui Jin, would make an appearance.

These were all Buddhist Master Gods. It was unheard of for all of them to gather at once like this; that alone was more than enough to prove how extraordinary this assembly would be!

Mid-banquet, Su Yi flipped his palm, and a talisman carved with a qilin totem floated into the air. It contained a message from Qi Wei.

“We’ve already handled things on our end. Be careful over there.”

Su Yi put the talisman away without so much as a change in expression, then drained another cup of wine.

Suddenly, there was a wave of commotion from elsewhere in the banquet hall.

Su Yi looked over and saw a tall, valiant-looking man in dark robes. Others clustered around him, like stars gathering around the moon, as he walked up to Zhong Xinlan with a smile and started a conversation.

Zhong Xinlan was one of the most prominent divine children in the Southern Flame Divine Continent, as well as a matchless beauty. She’d drawn tons of attention at tonight’s banquet, and countless divine sons had tried to start conversations with her.

But when the tall man in ink-black robes approached her, the other divine sons considerately stepped back.

The man in ink-black robes and Zhong Xinlan were instantly the center of attention.

“See that? That’s Sun Zangyun of the Donghua Sword Pavilion, Xinlan’s senior apprentice brother,” said Bao Yun. She walked over to Su Yi and said with a tinge of envy, “He’s an extraordinarily prominent figure among the divine continent’s divine children. He’s famed throughout the world."

“And everyone knows that Sun Zangyun is pursuing Xinlan. I have to say that when they’re together, they seem like a match made in heaven. They’re the envy of those around them.” Bao Yun turned to look at Su Yi. “I urge you to give Xinlan space. I’m not trying to be a villain, but as you can see, with Sun Zangyun around, you have no hope of being with Xinlan. Trying will only bring you endless trouble.”

Su Yi was stunned. Despite himself, he was at a loss for words. Bao Yun had deeply misunderstood the situation.

“Disregarding Sun Zangyun, look at the other divine sons at this banquet. They all either have incredible backgrounds, extraordinary talent, or shocking strength. Many of them admire Xinlan just as Sun Zangyun does.”

Bao Yun’s gaze was suddenly complicated. She looked at Su Yi sympathetically. “And what about you? How can you compare with those divine sons? Don’t misunderstand; I’m not saying this to insult you. I have no right to do that.

“I’m just saying that if I were you, I’d leave of my own accord to avoid inviting misfortune upon myself. It’d be terrible if someone saw you as a rival and attacked you.”

Bao Yun let out a long sigh. “Ye Mu, honest counsel stings the ears. The gap between you and Xinlan is just too enormous; it’s too great for you to change. You can’t keep acting stubborn like this!”

Su Yi was at a loss for words. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.